Find out how you can get involved with sustainability at the University of Greenwich.
There are a number of ways that you can get involved with sustainability at the University of Greenwich. Whether you can commit to weekly volunteering or just a one-off event, we welcome everyone to come #MakeTheirChange.
This summer we are moving from our Green Rewards programme and we will be launching an exciting platform to help students and staff embrace actions that save money, improve wellbeing and also help the planet. Also keep up to date with events and activities via the portal and our social media channels. Remember too our Green Week is in November so you can really get to grips with great experiences that are good for you. In Green Week you can also contribute to our annual sustainability survey to tell us what you think about sustainability at Greenwich and what more you can do!
Green Ambassador Programme (Students)
The Green Ambassador Programme brings together students who are passionate in sustainability to learn and make changes through hands-on volunteering experience.
The programme is organised by Sustainable Development Unit and students will work with staff in different sustainability projects.
How does the programme work?
This volunteer programme consists of two parts- meetings and volunteering experience:
- Meetings: We will have meetings throughout the year, including an intro session and a mid-term session.
- Volunteering experience (Oct 2025- Apr 2026): Green Ambassadors will join staff members and assist them in different sustainability projects as their volunteering experience. Students can choose from the projects below:
Edible Garden Volunteer
The Edible Garden Volunteer will actively participate in the maintenance, cultivation, and support of our edible garden. This role is essential for creating a welcoming and sustainable green space that benefits students, staff and our wider community, promotes environmental awareness and fosters a sense of wellbeing. See here for more information around the garden.
Read the full job description here.
Clothes Swap Volunteer
The Clothes Swap Volunteer will play a vital role in the planning and execution of our clothes swap events, aimed at promoting sustainable fashion practices, reducing clothing waste and fostering a circular economy within the university. This volunteer will assist in organising, setting up, and managing the event to ensure it runs smoothly.
Read the full job description here.
Content Creator Volunteer
The Content Creator Volunteer will play a crucial role in helping the Sustainable Development Unit communicate its mission to a wider audience. This volunteer will be responsible for creating engaging and informative content across various platforms to raise awareness about sustainability, engage our staff and students with sustainable initiatives and to support the University in meeting its sustainable commitments.
Read the full job description here.
Biodiversity Monitoring Volunteer
The Biodiversity Monitoring Volunteer will participate in conducting ecological surveys (e.g. birds, mammals, aquatic life) at Avery Hill Campus. The role is essential for monitoring and documenting flora and fauna on campus, which helps generate data for future biodiversity management plans.
Read the full job description here.
Bargain Corner Volunteer
Bargain Corner (located in Medway Campus) is open exclusively to students, offering second-hand essentials like kitchenware, soft furnishings, and small household items at very low prices. As a Green Ambassador, you’ll help run the shop, create engaging displays, and chat to your fellow students – all while gaining valuable skills and experience. The shop also supports sustainability and circular economy goals by giving donated items a second life and reducing waste on campus.
Read the full job description here.
Ambassadors will be awarded a certificate by Sustainable Development Unit stating their voluntary hours upon completion of the programme, as well as other recognitions throughout the year.
What are the benefits of being a Green Ambassador?
- Develop sustainability skills and build your CV
- Make friends and connections with likeminded students
- Help make change happen in UoG
- Receive recognition for your achievements
- Have fun!
I don’t know much about sustainability, can I still join?
Yes! The aim of this programme is to gather passionate people, exchange ideas and create change together. If you are passionate in sustainability you are welcome to join!
Apply
Application is now open and close on 5 Oct 2025. You must be a UoG student.
Please demonstrate your interest and competencies in the specific role to increase the chance of success. Successful applications will be notified by 8 Oct 2025.
If you are successful, you will need to attend an in-person meeting on 21 Oct 2025.
Any questions please contact sustainability@gre.ac.uk
Apply now
Staff Volunteering
If you are a member of staff and would like to get involved, you can! We have two opportunities available, both residing at our Avery Hill Campus.
Edible Garden Volunteer
You will actively participate in the maintenance, cultivation, and support of our edible garden. This role is essential for creating a welcoming and sustainable green space that benefits students, staff and our wider community, promoting environmental awareness and fosters a sense of wellbeing. See here for more information around the garden. You will learn about organic growing, how to plant and importantly able to harvest what we grow! No experience is required, we will provide the tools and training.
Volunteering sessions are every Wednesday, 12-2pm. If you would like to get involved please email edible-garden@greenwich.ac.uk.
Biodiversity Monitoring Volunteer
You will participate in conducting ecological surveys (e.g. birds, mammals, aquatic life) at Avery Hill Campus. The role is essential for monitoring and documenting flora and fauna on campus, which helps generate data for future biodiversity management plans. The project encourages anyone, whether you are a complete starter, not knowing a bee from a blackbird through to experts, to take part. Participants can choose the sessions they want to join, but we encourage joining as many as possible to learn more about biodiversity.
Monitoring activities will take place bi-weekly on Tuesdays, 12-2pm. If you would like to get involved please fill out this form or email sustainability@greenwich.ac.uk.
Living Labs (Students & Staff)
A Living Lab offers real life research opportunities to students and staff at the university to help progress sustainable development and tackle real-world sustainability challenges. Living Labs bring together knowledge of academics, students and external stakeholders to collaborate on projects and create transformational solutions. Past living lab projects have included:
Audit us & Share your actions!
Audit us:
The university offers many opportunities for students and staff to audit our sustainability activities. These are listed below. If you would like to participate please contact us at sustainability@gre.ac.uk. Let us know if you are interested in undertaking your own audits and provide recommendations and reports as part of your assessed work or not if you are a student, and if a staff member we can help develop your skills to help you undertake your own audits or other projects.
Staff & Students:
Environmental Management System Audits: We encourage staff to become internal auditors to help ensure we are meeting best practice and compliance requirements. We currently have 10 trained auditors from across our university. We also provide opportunities for students to undertake shadowing audits to help develop skills and experience in auditing and report writing, If you would like to be trained or are interested in supporting our audits please ask for David Jackson via sustainability@gre.ac.uk
Green Rewards & GREen Hub: The university run Green Rewards for 30 months until July 2025, a platform rewarding staff and students for the eco-actions they have taken. In September 2025 we will be launching The GREen Hub, the go-to place to learn more and get actively involved with sustainability encouraging you to take more sustainability actions. The platform will help staff and students make green commitments and share these directly with us via social media and our feedback form, so that GREen Hub can celebrate these with the world and so that we can calculate the positive impact you can all make. Look out for our GREen Hub launch in September. We look forwards to helping you help Greenwich, your communities and the planet become more sustainable.
Staff:
Green Champions Network (GCN): Green Champions (we have over 90 now!) are invited to deliver their own departmental sustainability audits and to share recommendations and actions with Yee Ng your Sustainability Engagement Officer and GCN coordinator. Training and resources are available to assist you.
Students:
Through our Living Lab programme we have students undertaking their own audits and assessments of our sustainability performance. We have seen great work by students over the last few years auditing and reporting results in areas such as waste, water, energy and biodiversity.
Students are invited to participate in the Fairtrade Audit programme auditing our evidence in support of our bi-annual audit programme. In the past we have been grateful for the many students that have volunteered for this to help universities and also to develop their skills and experience. Get in touch sustainability@gre.ac.uk if you want more information.
Sustainability Committees: A Greenwich Students' Union Officer sits on our Sustainability Management Committee, meeting every 3 months. Please liaise with them to raise any issue directly to this Committee (we can give you the contact details as the member changes annually). Students are also invited to be student reps on our Sustainable Food Sub Committee and the Ecosystems Services Sub Committee. Student engagement with these groups is important and very much welcomed.
Feedback to us:
During our annual Green Week (November) we ask for staff and student feedback about sustainability at Greenwich and how we can engage you better. Please complete our short MS form so we can better help you. If you can't wait then email us your thoughts anytime at sustainability@gre.ac.uk Staff also have an opportunity to feedback your thoughts about sustainability at Greenwich via the annual staff survey. Watch our for other surveys throughout the year via the Portal and our Social Media Channels.
Share your actions!
Our students have done some amazing things including the development of a Green E-zine by our Humanities Students, delivered Clothes Swaps, created sustainability focused comms and engagement materials, supported our community garden, they have developed wildlife - citizen science wildlife monitoring programmes, volunteered in our Chaplaincy Bargain Corner shop selling everyday, used items for pennies! We have also created a Sustainability Moodle course to help you learn more about key issues of sustainability and how these relate to your lives studies and futures. Please complete this.
Our staff deliver sustainability everyday within their work and often beyond it. Our team of Green Champions are tasked with creating Sustainability Action Plans that focus on sustainability actions in their areas of responsibility. We have seen staff develop guidance for running green events,
We are proud and grateful for our staff and students that contribute to our campus and our communities by actively involved in their communities and through simple actions such as litter picking and reporting issues and also watering the plants in the edible garden at Avery Hill when the plants look a bit thirsty!
We know there is a huge amount more our students and staff are doing to make this planet a better place. Feel free to tag us in your social media or just send us your stories so we can celebrate and share these more widely.
News and events
Find out what has been going on recently around the University.